While assumptions about appropriate sex-role behaviors are culturally acknowledged, little is known about the development of differential perceptions of sex role personality dimensions. Children's and teachers' judgments with regard to sex-role-related personality traits were investigated from a developmental perspective. Children, ages 5-14 years, viewed videotaped skits portraying traits stereotypically associated with one sex or the other (e.g., gentleness, stoicism). The children evaluated themselves, considered peers in terms of the traits portrayed, and assessed the social desirability of the traits. Teachers rated the children on the traits and on aspects of social ease (e.g., nervousness). The findings indicated some instances of sex-role stereotyping, but the degree varied, depending on the child's age, sex and trait being considered. Stereotyped responses occurred more often for boys than for girls, increasing with age. Other aspects of gender and the social desirability of the traits influenced the children's judgments of themselves and their peers. While teachers evaluated the children similarly, few relationships were found between teachers and children's perceptions.